This invention relates to an apparatus for securing the distal end of a tape measure to the surface of an object being measured thus permitting a single person to easily and accurately measure distances greater than the distance that can be spanned by the person""s arms.
Measuring tapes in general are manufactured with a convenient pull tab, hook or flange at a distal end, immediately adjacent the zero marking on the tape. A user secures the zero mark using the tab as a stop against an immobile edge. The tape is extended from the measuring tape as the tape is metered out against the resistance of the secured tab. The desired dimension of an object is thus measured.
The use of such pull tabs requires that an edge or slot be available at the starting zero point of the measurement to anchor the tab. Where this is possible a user may extend the tape sufficiently to locate the required dimension. If difficulty is experienced with securing the tab, which is common, other means of securing the tab must be found such as, for example, using a second person to hold the tab in place. Where linear dimensions of planar surfaces must be measured such as those required by building contractors, interior designers, realtors or handymen there is often difficulty experienced with the anchoring of the pull tab so that a second person must be available.
The articulated anchor for measuring tapes of the present invention provides a means whereby extended linear measurements may be easily and accurately made by one person without either the inconvenience of having to repeatedly re-secure the distal end tab at the commencement point of the measurement, or the inconvenience of engaging a second person to hold the tab.
An articulated anchor for measuring tapes has a planar base having opposite parallel first and second planar surfaces. A releasable adhesive pad is secured to a first planar surface for releasably adhering planar base portion to a surface of an object to be measured.
A spherical ball is mounted on the second planar surface so as to extend outwardly therefrom. A ball joint housing is rotatably mounted overeat ball so as to form a ball joint which may be articulated in both horizontal and vertical planes.
The ball joint housing may be advantageously a rectangular solid having a ball receiving cavity formed in a lower surface and, oppositely disposed on an upper surface a slot for mating of the pull tab therein. The ball receiving cavity may include opposed facing, less than hemispherical spherical segments or dimples for retaining the ball therebetween.
A releasable adhesive pad is mounted to the second planar surface of the base. The pad is manufactured from a soft resilient material such as silicone, urethane, polyurethane or any material which when produced has a durometer rating less than or equal to 30, scale shore A, so as to provide inherent surface tackiness for ready releasable mounting of the pad and base to both smooth and rough surfaces. In one preferred embodiment the pad material is as disclosed in PCT published patent application Ser. No. CA99/00256 entitled Multi-Purpose Re-Usable Adhesive Pad, for the invention of Hiscock et al and sold under the trademark Octa-Pad by Hiscoco Innovations of Kelowna, British Columbia.
In summary the tape measure anchor of the present invention includes a rigid base and a tape measure engaging member for mounting to, either permanently or releasably, the tape measure housing containing the retracted tape measure or a flange or tab on a free end of the retractable tape measure so as to retain the flange or tab in a slot in the member. A two-degree-of-rotational-freedom rotatable coupler is mounted to, so as to extend between, the base and to the member. The coupler is mounted between the base and the member so as to rotatably mount the member to the base for two degree of freedom rotation of the member relative to the base. A means is provided for releasably mounting, by adhesion, the base to a structure to be measured. The coupler may be a ball joint or a pinned universal joint, or a gimballed joint. The slot may lie in a first plane and the first plane may intersect the coupler or ball or a pinned axis of rotation. In one aspect of the present invention the first plane intersects a center of rotation of the coupler or ball or axis of rotation.
The coupler has first and second orthogonal axes of rotation. The first axis of rotation is perpendicular to a lower planar surface of the base for rotational motion of the member relative to the base, that is, where the rotational motion has a component in a plane parallel to the lower planar surface of the base. The second axis of rotation lies in the plane parallel to the lower planar surface of the base for the rotational motion of the member relative to the base, that is, where the rotational motion has a component in a plane perpendicular to the lower planar surface of the base.
The tape measure engaging member is a socket housing when the coupler is a spherical ball joint. The ball joint includes a ball rigidly mounted to the base and a socket formed in the socket housing. The socket is adjacent a first end of the socket housing so as to allow pivoting of the socket housing about the second axis of rotation between a lowered or horizontal position and an elevated or non-horizontal position. In this embodiment the first and second axes of rotation intersect at a center of curvature of the ball.
In the first plane is orthogonal to the lower planar surface of the base when the member or housing is in the lowered position and the first plane is substantially parallel to the lower planar surface of the base when the member or housing is in the elevated position.
In one preferred embodiment the base is a generally planar plate and the socket housing is elongate along a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the first plane. The socket housing has an upper surface shaped, for example, flat so that the tape measure lies flush along at least a portion of the upper surface when the tab on the free end of the tape measure is releasably retained in the slot.
The plate may advantageously be symmetric about the first axis. For example, the plate may be circular. Further advantageously, the socket housing may be a parallelepiped, for example, rectangular.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the socket is formed by opposed facing concave spherical segments spaced apart on either side of a ball receiving cavity, wherein the spherical segments lie on, and are symmetric about, the second axis. In one embodiment not intended to be limiting, the ball receiving cavity is a channel socket extending parallel to the longitudinal axis. In that embodiment, the slot extends downwardly from the upper surface of the socket housing so as to intersect the socket or a plane containing the socket.
In yet a further aspect, a lower edge of the first end, common with a lower surface of the housing, wherein the lower surface of the housing is opposite the upper surface of the housing, is rounded about an axis parallel to the second axis. This allows mounting of the housing closely adjacent the base without the lower edge of the first end obstructing rotation of the housing about the second axis as the housing is rotated between the lowered and elevated positions.
The means for releasably mounting the base to an object to be measured may be a resilient adhesive gasket.